Tag Archives: divorce

Taming the Tongue

Posted by expedition44 on

This is a followup article to my good friend Paul’s at Cross and Cornerstone…

Great article! READ HERE: Taming the Tongue

Words That Build Kingdoms or Burn Them Down

Few things have fractured churches, damaged families, divided friendships, and undermined kingdom community more profoundly than the misuse of words. Entire relationships can be unraveled by a sentence. Trust built over years may collapse through gossip whispered in moments. Communities formed in covenant can suddenly become strained under the subtle poison of criticism, slander, accusation, or careless speech. Scripture consistently presents the tongue not as a secondary issue of spiritual maturity but as a central diagnostic of discipleship itself. The biblical witness repeatedly suggests that what exits the mouth often reveals realities deeply embedded within the heart.

We live in an age saturated with speech. Through social media, podcasts, texting, digital communities, and twenty-four-hour outrage cycles, humanity speaks more than any generation in history. Yet increased communication has not necessarily produced increased wisdom. If anything, the digital age has amplified what the apostle James warned against nearly two thousand years ago: the destructive power of an untamed tongue. Many believers have learned how to articulate theological positions, defend doctrinal tribes, and speak confidently about spiritual matters while simultaneously neglecting the deeper kingdom ethic of speech rooted in humility, gentleness, covenant faithfulness, and wisdom from above.

For the biblical writers, speech was never merely descriptive. Words were formative and relational not transactional. They shaped reality, cultivated covenant, reinforced identity, and carried spiritual consequence. This reality becomes even more striking when viewed through an Ancient Near Eastern and Hebraic lens. Within the world of the Hebrew Bible, speech was not considered cheap, casual, or disposable. Words possessed power because they flowed from the character and intentions of the speaker. A promise spoken established covenant. A blessing spoken carried generational implications. A curse uttered represented rupture and judgment. Speech was deeply connected to moral responsibility and communal flourishing.¹

This framework helps us understand why James devotes such serious attention to the tongue. James 3 is not simply moral advice about avoiding profanity or trying harder to “be nice.” Rather, James draws deeply from Jewish wisdom traditions, Proverbs, covenant ethics, and the teachings of Jesus to articulate something far more profound: the tongue functions as a spiritual barometer of kingdom maturity. One may profess theological orthodoxy, participate in worship gatherings, or possess extensive biblical knowledge, yet an untamed mouth exposes a heart still undergoing formation. James therefore confronts believers with uncomfortable honesty: maturity is inseparable from speech.

Speech in the Ancient Near Eastern Imagination

To appreciate the gravity of James’s warning, we must first understand the ancient worldview surrounding speech. In many Ancient Near Eastern cultures, spoken words were perceived as powerful extensions of authority and identity. While Israel’s worldview remained distinct from surrounding nations, the broader cultural context nevertheless recognized language as carrying performative force. Kings issued decrees that established legal realities. Priests invoked blessings believed to mediate divine favor. Oaths created binding obligations, and public declarations could reshape communal standing.²

The Hebrew Scriptures amplify this understanding through the doctrine of creation itself. The opening chapter of Genesis repeatedly emphasizes that God creates through speech: “And God said…” (Gen 1:3). Creation emerges not through violence, chaos, or divine combat—as was common in neighboring ANE myths—but through ordered, intentional divine utterance. God speaks, and reality responds. Walter Brueggemann notes that in Israel’s imagination, Yahweh’s speech is never empty rhetoric but effective action that creates and sustains covenantal order.³ Words, therefore, participate in the movement from chaos to flourishing.

This theological backdrop matters profoundly. Humanity, created in the imago Dei, reflects the Creator’s nature. If God creates through speech, human beings likewise participate in either creative or destructive realities through their own words. Speech can cultivate peace or sow chaos. It can encourage covenant faithfulness or fracture communal trust. Proverbs recognizes this tension repeatedly: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21). Such language is not poetic exaggeration. It reflects a worldview in which speech possesses formative force.

Hebrew itself reveals the interconnectedness of speech and action. The Hebrew word dābār (דָּבָר) may be translated as “word,” “matter,” “thing,” or “event.”⁴ Unlike modern Western distinctions separating speech from action, biblical Hebrew often understands spoken words as events that produce consequence. What is spoken enters reality.

A careless word does not simply disappear into abstraction. It enters relationships, communities, and spiritual environments carrying tangible effects.

This perspective should already challenge modern assumptions. Contemporary culture often minimizes speech under the banner of emotional reaction or personal authenticity: I was angry. I was venting. I was simply being honest. Yet biblical theology repeatedly frames speech as moral responsibility. Honesty devoid of wisdom becomes brutality. Truth without gentleness becomes violence. Correction absent humility often deteriorates into self-righteousness. James inherits this Hebraic imagination. He understands speech not as incidental but central to covenant living. The tongue, though physically small, possesses disproportionate influence because it reveals and shapes spiritual reality simultaneously.

Lashon Hara: Evil Speech and Covenant Breakdown

Perhaps one of the most illuminating Jewish concepts for understanding James 3 is the Hebrew phrase lashon hara (לָשׁוֹן הָרַע), literally meaning “evil tongue” or “evil speech.” While the precise phrase emerges later within rabbinic tradition, its theological foundations are deeply rooted in Scripture.⁵ At its core, lashon hara refers to speech that harms another person—even when the information spoken may technically be true. This distinction is vital. Biblical ethics does not merely condemn falsehood; it also challenges destructive truth-telling detached from love, restoration, or covenant responsibility. One may speak factual words and still participate in sin if those words unnecessarily shame, divide, humiliate, or fracture relationships. The issue is not only factual accuracy but covenantal purpose. The story of Miriam in Numbers 12 offers a striking example. Miriam and Aaron criticize Moses, ostensibly raising concerns about leadership and marriage. Yet Yahweh interprets their speech as rebellion against covenant order. Miriam is subsequently struck with leprosy, signaling the seriousness of destructive speech within the covenant community.⁶ Jewish interpreters later understood this narrative as foundational to teachings regarding slander, gossip, and careless criticism. Similarly, Psalm 34 exhorts believers: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit” (Ps 34:13). Proverbs consistently warns against gossip (nirgan), slander, quarrelsome speech, and reckless words that pierce “like a sword” (Prov 12:18). Wisdom literature understands language as either healing balm or corrosive poison.

Importantly, biblical warnings concerning speech frequently emerge within covenant settings. The greatest damage rarely comes from enemies outside the community but from harmful speech among brothers and sisters walking together. Communities built upon trust are uniquely vulnerable to the wounds of words. Churches fracture. Friendships dissolve. Ministry teams splinter. Entire spiritual environments become shaped by cynicism, suspicion, or unresolved offense. James recognizes this danger. He writes not to pagan outsiders but to believers scattered among the nations. His concern centers upon the moral integrity of kingdom communities struggling to embody the ethics of Jesus in a fractured world.

James 3 and the Jewish Wisdom Tradition

James’s treatment of the tongue reaches its theological climax in James 3:1–12, a passage deeply saturated with Hebraic wisdom categories. Far too often, modern readers approach James as though he were merely offering practical self-help advice for Christian living. Yet James reads far more like Israel’s wisdom literature than contemporary moral instruction. Scholars frequently describe the epistle as “New Testament Proverbs” because of its emphasis upon embodied righteousness, covenant integrity, and ethical maturity.⁷ James is not interested in abstract theology detached from daily practice. Faithfulness must become visible.

He begins with a sobering warning directed toward teachers: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment” (Jas 3:1). This opening is hardly accidental. Teachers operate primarily through speech. They shape imaginations, frame theological realities, influence discipleship, and direct communities. Consequently, the misuse of words becomes especially dangerous when carried by positions of spiritual authority. Craig Blomberg observes that James recognizes how destructive speech often increases proportionally with influence.⁸ Leadership magnifies consequences.

This warning should strike contemporary ministry culture with unusual force. Churches often emphasize charisma, gifted communication, or platform influence while neglecting deeper questions regarding speech ethics. One may preach eloquently while simultaneously damaging people through sarcasm, divisiveness, unnecessary criticism, or relational manipulation. James refuses to separate giftedness from character. The mature teacher is recognizable not simply by doctrinal precision but by disciplined speech rooted in wisdom.

James continues: “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature” (Jas 3:2). The Greek term teleios (τέλειος) carries the idea of completeness, maturity, or wholeness rather than sinless perfection.⁹ James’s argument is striking: spiritual maturity becomes visible through the disciplining of speech. One cannot meaningfully claim formation into the image of Christ while consistently leaving relational destruction in the wake of one’s words. The apostle then unfolds a series of vivid metaphors. First comes the horse’s bit. Though small, it directs an animal of immense strength (Jas 3:3). Then comes the ship’s rudder, tiny in comparison to the vessel yet decisive in direction (3:4). James’s logic becomes unmistakable: small things often govern large outcomes. The tongue may seem insignificant, yet it steers relationships, ministries, reputations, marriages, churches, and communities. Perhaps his strongest imagery arrives in verse 5: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” James compares the tongue to wildfire, capable of devastating destruction disproportionate to its size. Anyone who has watched division spread through a congregation understands precisely what James means. A whispered accusation. A careless comment after church. A cynical text thread. A private offense left unchecked. Before long, suspicion spreads like fire through dry brush.

Within an Ancient Near Eastern context, fire imagery carried particular emotional weight. Wildfires threatened crops, livelihoods, and survival itself. Fire symbolized devastation beyond human control. James therefore does not exaggerate. Speech untethered from wisdom becomes spiritually combustible. He intensifies the metaphor further, describing the tongue as “set on fire by Gehenna” (Jas 3:6). Gehenna (γέεννα) evokes the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, associated with judgment, corruption, and idolatrous rebellion.¹⁰ James’s point is profoundly unsettling: destructive speech may become aligned not with the kingdom of God but with forces opposed to divine flourishing. Words participate in spiritual realities. This helps explain why Scripture speaks so seriously about gossip, slander, and divisive language. Such behavior is not merely personality conflict. It reflects deeper spiritual formation—or deformity. Speech either aligns with the kingdom of heaven or with the chaos opposed to it.

James then introduces one of the most convicting contradictions in all of Scripture: “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness” (Jas 3:9). Here the covenant problem emerges fully. Humanity bears the divine image (imago Dei).

To curse another image-bearer while worshiping God exposes spiritual incoherence. Worship disconnected from relational integrity becomes hypocrisy.

The Greek term James uses for “curse,” katara (κατάρα), evokes condemnation, denunciation, and destructive speech.¹¹ James is not speaking merely of profanity but of language that tears down, humiliates, or spiritually diminishes another person. This includes gossip masked as concern, theological arrogance disguised as conviction, and criticism baptized as discernment. How often do churches unknowingly sanctify this behavior? Believers sometimes share damaging information under the pretense of prayer. Others justify harshness in the name of “speaking truth.” Yet kingdom truth divorced from kingdom love quickly ceases to resemble Jesus.

James concludes his argument with an image rooted in creation itself: a spring cannot simultaneously produce fresh and bitter water, nor can a fig tree bear olives (Jas 3:11–12). Nature reveals consistency. Fruit corresponds to root. Speech, therefore, functions diagnostically. The mouth reveals what the heart contains. Jesus Himself teaches precisely this principle: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34). Speech is rarely accidental. Under pressure, fatigue, frustration, disappointment, or conflict, the tongue often reveals hidden interior realities we would otherwise prefer to conceal.¹² This does not mean believers never fail in speech. James himself acknowledges universal stumbling. Rather, maturity involves repentance, submission, and increasing awareness that sanctification includes language. Following Jesus requires discipleship of the mouth.

Jesus and the Ethics of Kingdom Speech

Jesus consistently frames speech as revelatory. In Luke 6:45 He declares, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good… for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Here speech becomes diagnostic rather than merely behavioral. The problem is not simply loose words but disordered affections. This perspective prevents superficial moralism. Taming the tongue cannot be reduced to behavior modification. One may temporarily restrain words externally while internally cultivating bitterness, envy, resentment, or pride. Eventually, what remains hidden emerges through speech. Jesus therefore addresses roots rather than symptoms.

The Sermon on the Mount intensifies this ethic. Jesus warns against contemptuous speech, equating verbal hostility with deeper heart-level violence (Matt 5:21–22). Kingdom righteousness concerns not only physical action but interior posture. Discipleship transforms speech because discipleship transforms desire. In a culture of outrage, instant reaction, and digital confrontation, Jesus’s words feel especially countercultural. Social media has created unprecedented opportunities for what Scripture consistently warns against: impulsive criticism, public humiliation, tribal hostility, and self-righteous performance. The digital world often rewards sharpness rather than wisdom, reaction rather than discernment, certainty rather than humility. Yet the disciple of Jesus is called into a different imagination.

Paul exhorts believers in Ephesus: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up” (Eph 4:29). The Greek term translated “corrupting” (sapros) refers to rotten or decaying matter.¹³ Speech may either nourish communal life or introduce decay. Words matter because communities are formed through language.

Kingdom Speech in an Age of Division

Perhaps one of the greatest spiritual challenges facing the modern church is not theological illiteracy but undisciplined speech. We inhabit a moment where outrage masquerades as conviction, harshness is rewarded as courage, and public criticism often receives greater affirmation than quiet faithfulness. Entire ministries have become platforms of perpetual reaction. Communities fracture not always because of major doctrinal failures but because careless words slowly erode trust. The church has not remained immune to this reality. Gossip often hides beneath the language of concern. Slander becomes baptized under the guise of discernment. “I’m just being honest” has become a convenient justification for words never filtered through wisdom, gentleness, or covenant loyalty. Yet honesty absent love frequently becomes brutality, and conviction detached from humility often deteriorates into spiritual arrogance.

This is where the Jewish notion of lashon hara remains remarkably relevant. Evil speech is not simply malicious lying; it includes words that unnecessarily damage another image-bearer, fracture covenant trust, or cultivate division within community. The issue is not merely whether something is factually true, but whether it is spiritually fruitful. Scripture repeatedly presses believers to ask deeper questions: Does this build up? Does this restore? Does this move toward healing? Does this reflect the character of Christ?

To be clear, biblical wisdom does not demand silence in the face of sin, injustice, or necessary correction. Jesus confronted hypocrisy. Paul rebuked error. The prophets spoke boldly against corruption. Yet kingdom correction always differs from fleshly reaction. The goal remains restoration rather than humiliation, healing rather than destruction, reconciliation rather than self-vindication. Even truth can become weaponized when wielded without love.

This distinction matters profoundly in covenant communities. Families, friendships, churches, ministry teams, and discipleship circles all depend upon trust. Once speech becomes corrosive, communities slowly become shaped by suspicion, fear, and fragmentation. A single critical voice can influence entire environments. One divisive conversation can redirect relational dynamics for months or years. James understood this reality well. Small fires spread quickly. It is relatively easy to worship together, serve together, or study Scripture together during seasons of encouragement. The deeper test of discipleship emerges when disappointment enters the room, when misunderstandings occur, when leadership feels imperfect, or when relational friction surfaces. What exits our mouths in those moments reveals much about the condition of our hearts.

The mature disciple learns that spiritual formation includes restraint. Proverbs repeatedly associates wisdom with slowness of speech: “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent” (Prov 10:19).¹⁴ Silence, at times, becomes spiritual maturity. Not every offense requires response. Not every opinion requires articulation. Not every irritation deserves audience. Likewise, kingdom speech involves intentional encouragement. The New Testament repeatedly frames language positively rather than merely prohibitively. Believers are called to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thess 5:11). The Greek term parakaleō (παρακαλέω) carries ideas of exhortation, comfort, strengthening, and coming alongside.¹⁵ Kingdom speech strengthens weary souls. It restores dignity. It calls out identity. It reminds people who they are in Christ.

One of the tragedies of modern discipleship is how easily criticism multiplies while encouragement remains scarce. We often assume people know they are valued. We presume gratitude is obvious. Yet Scripture continually models blessing as spoken reality. Fathers blessed children. Leaders blessed communities. Jesus blessed disciples. Paul regularly opened letters with affirmation before correction. Kingdom speech names grace before addressing failure. In many ways, the tongue becomes one of the clearest indicators of sanctification. Spiritual maturity is not merely doctrinal precision, charismatic gifting, or ministry effectiveness. According to James, maturity reveals itself through disciplined words flowing from transformed hearts. A believer may possess impressive biblical knowledge and yet remain profoundly immature if speech consistently produces division, cynicism, or destruction.

Conclusion

Perhaps James understood something we desperately need to recover in our generation: the battle of the tongue is never merely about behavior modification. This is not simply about trying harder, being nicer, or learning to avoid saying things we later regret. The deeper issue is discipleship. The tongue reveals allegiance. It exposes formation. It often uncovers what kingdom our hearts are quietly trusting when pressure rises. Scripture consistently presents the mouth as far more than a communication tool. Our words become instruments of agreement. They reveal what we are partnering with internally long before anything manifests externally. Proverbs reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21). Notice, Scripture does not suggest that the tongue itself possesses magical power, as though Christians merely need better motivational slogans or positive confession techniques. Rather, the biblical vision is deeper and more covenantal. Words carry influence because they reveal where trust, fear, hope, and allegiance reside.

This is why Genesis begins with divine speech: “And God said…” Yahweh speaks order into chaos. Creation itself emerges through intentional, life-giving word. Humanity, bearing the divine image, likewise participates in either building or breaking through speech. Our words create atmospheres. They shape relationships. They reinforce faith or deepen fear. They strengthen covenant or slowly erode trust. Jesus understood this clearly when He said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt 12:34). Eventually what fills the heart finds expression through the lips. Fear eventually talks. Cynicism eventually talks. Unforgiveness eventually talks. Bitterness talks. Anxiety talks. But so do hope, peace, trust, faith, gentleness, and encouragement. Our mouths often reveal realities within us that we ourselves have not yet fully acknowledged.

This is why the enemy so often works at the level of exhaustion, disappointment, discouragement, and offense. Spiritually tired people frequently begin speaking beneath their identity. (Hurt people, hurt people.) We start narrating our lives through fear rather than promise, frustration rather than faithfulness, accusation rather than grace. We rehearse despair until it feels normal. We repeatedly speak hopelessness until it becomes expectation. Israel’s wilderness journey offers a sobering picture. Their downfall was not merely the existence of giants in the land but their persistent verbal partnership with fear and unbelief. Murmuring in Scripture is rarely portrayed as innocent frustration. It often reflects a deeper distrust in God’s provision, leadership, or character. The wilderness became as much a battle of speech as a battle of circumstances. The same dynamic exists for us today. The enemy rarely begins by changing behavior; he often begins by shaping agreement. Eden itself reminds us of this reality. “Did God really say…?” The first fracture began with distorted trust in God’s word, and shortly thereafter human speech itself changed. Before the fall there was confidence, openness, authority, and relational alignment. After the fall came blame, fear, hiding, and distortion. Speech revealed the fracture before anything else.

This is why spiritual maturity is deeply connected to governing the tongue. Not because God desires robotic disciples who never wrestle honestly, lament deeply, or feel emotion. Scripture gives us Psalms of grief, confusion, and even holy protest. Yet biblical lament always moves honestly toward God rather than away from Him. David models this repeatedly. Betrayed, exhausted, hunted, and discouraged, he nevertheless declares, “I will bless the Lord at all times” (Ps 34:1). That was not denial. It was trust. It was spiritual resistance against allowing pain to become the loudest narrator in his life. The warfare of the mouth is ultimately the warfare of agreement. Every day we are invited to consider: What story will shape our speech? Will our mouths continually reinforce fear, accusation, offense, and hopelessness? Or will they increasingly come into alignment with the character, promises, and goodness of God?

This does not mean pretending circumstances are easy. It does not mean suppressing grief or avoiding honest struggle. Rather, it means refusing to let pain write our theology. It means learning, slowly and imperfectly, to speak in ways that reflect trust even when life feels uncertain. Because eventually our words reveal something profound: the kingdom we truly believe carries the highest authority. May we become people whose mouths increasingly release blessing instead of bitterness, healing instead of harm, courage instead of fear, and hope instead of despair. May our speech reflect the way of Jesus, and may our covenant communities become marked by words that strengthen, restore, and call one another deeper into the life of the kingdom.

Notes

  1. John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018), 87
  2. Victor H. Matthews and Don C. Benjamin, Social World of Ancient Israel (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1993), 44
  3. Walter Brueggemann, Theology of the Old Testament (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997), 122
  4. Willem A. VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 907
  5. Joseph Telushkin, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal (New York: William Morrow, 1996), 43
  6. Dennis T. Olson, Numbers (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996), 75
  7. Scot McKnight, The Letter of James, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), 31
  8. Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell, James, ZECNT (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 153
  9. Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 148
  10. Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2014), 721
  11. Ceslas Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 270
  12. Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1–9:50, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994), 648
  13. Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 345
  14. Tremper Longman III, Proverbs (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 241
  15. Ben Witherington III, New Testament Theology and Ethics (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 553

THE DIFFICULTY OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE BIBLE IN A MODERN ERA

Posted by expedition44 on

If you know anything about me, you know that I am going to tell you what the Bible says as transparently as possible, present the options and issues and let you come to your own conclusion. Nothing is spoon fed. So, I am not going to approach this very difficult issue slightly differently than I have in the past. I wrote a post of homosexuality years ago and I haven’t changed my perspective on that post, but I have come to also frame the same discussions a bit differently. You might want to read this post first.

What I think doesn’t really matter, it is what the Bible says. However, in any theology and interpretation we have to deduce things. When the Bible isn’t perfectly clear we use our God given minds guided by the Holy Spirit to arrive at truth. Sometimes we come to different results, and I would encourage you to honor and respect varied biblically based views.

Homosexuality is Biblically described as sin

The Bible introduces human sexuality within the context of God’s creative design. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). This foundational premise establishes the binary nature of human sexuality as woven into God’s original creation. In Genesis 2:24, the union of man and woman is depicted as a one-flesh covenant: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” The emphasis on male-female pairing is the template for marriage, consistently referenced throughout Scripture.1

In describing the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 19:4-11 recounts men of the city demanding sexual relations with Lot’s guests, who were angels in human form. The account highlights immoral behavior at multiple levels, which includes homosexual acts. While this passage also addresses other grave sins (Ezekiel 16:49-50 mentions pride, neglect of the poor, and abominable acts), the sexual violation in Genesis 19 is one of the clearest aspects of Sodom’s guilt. Homosexuality is clearly treated as sin.2

Leviticus 18:22 states, “You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.” Likewise, Leviticus 20:13 addresses the same practice as forbidden. These prohibitions appear in a broader context that includes various other sexual sins (e.g., incest, bestiality, and adultery), demonstrating that Scripture draws boundaries around intimacy for Israel, reflecting God’s holiness and will for human sexuality.3

Although the Gospels do not record Jesus specifically saying the word “homosexuality,” in Matthew 19:4-6, Jesus refers to the “male and female” design for marriage reaffirming the OT Genesis covenant by a since of REMEZ which then would carry other OT connotation. Jesus also underscores sexual purity (Matthew 5:27-28; Mark 7:20-23). He does not offer a direct commentary on same-sex relationships in the recorded Gospels, but many will argue that He established framework for marriage, sexual purity, and upholding Scriptural commands providing the overarching context. Matthew 5:17-18 underscores that Jesus came to fulfill the Law, not dismantle it. Ethical instructions, including sexual conduct, gain deeper clarity in the New Covenant but remain consistent in reflecting God’s righteous nature. Within this framework, contexts like Leviticus remain relevant as a moral guidepost, interpreted in the light of Christ’s sacrificial redemption.4

Paul’s epistles also touch on the acts in Romans 1:26-27: “Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men abandoned natural relations with women and burned with lust for one another…” This passage highlights a departure from God’s design, emphasizing that certain acts are not in line with His created order. Perhaps similar to how Jesus mentioned them. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral… nor homosexuals, nor thieves… will inherit the kingdom of God.” Here, Paul places homosexual behavior among a list of sins. Yet in the following verse, 1 Corinthians 6:11, he offers hope: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed…” The emphasis is on transformation and redemption offered by God. This is a challenging interpretation. Finally, 1 Timothy 1:9-11 also categorizes homosexual acts with other sins that contradict “sound teaching,” reinforcing the broader biblical ethic on sexuality. In each instance, Paul addresses same-sex activity as one among various actions deemed inconsistent with the holy living God calls believers to pursue. It seems to treat homosexuality as any other “SINFUL” act.5 Those involved in these acts are missing the mark.

Why this is complicated and considerations of homosexuality

Well, the above probably sounds rather convincing. And I think if you are truly unbiased, it should. I would argue there is a strong biblical directive that homosexuality both NT and OT treat the act of homosexuality as a sin. But let’s also consider the other ramifications of the arguments. It seems that much of our evangelical Christian world continues to live in a sinful state. You might reconsider…

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?” “No one, Master.” “Neither do I,” said Jesus. “Go on your way. From now on, don’t sin.”] Note: John 7:53–8:11 [the portion in brackets] is not found in the earliest handwritten copies. John 8:7-11

The OT is complicated. What do we take with us and what do we leave behind? Most Evangelical Christians I know no longer keep much if any of the law (starting with the most basic 10 commandments of honoring the sabbath – you probably don’t even know when that starts and ends let alone keep it!) What comes with us as Christians and what stays behind as antiquated law that can’t or no longer needs to be followed in the spirit of Romans 7:6? Perhaps the things Jesus restates come with, but then we have the issue that Jesus followed the law to a T (Levitical not Rabbinical law) and we are to follow His example.6

Let me give you a brief example of some of the other difficulties…

Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. Exodus 21:7 seems to say it is just to sell my daughter to slavery. Exodus 35:2 clearly states violators of the Sabbath may be put to death. Furthermore, homosexuality is often listed with other things that seem much more minor in the OT and could be viewed as premodern-world best practice for health. For instance, Lev. 11:10 says eating shellfish is an “abomination”, and using same words used to describe homosexuality in Lev. 18.7 The argument would then be that perhaps the law suggested things to an ancient world that would keep their nation pure and (sexually) disease free (circumcision, and various purification laws.) Once science caught up with a modern world are these no longer concerns? Do you want to get into a conversation of intention? You might have no issues eating shellfish today but speak up against homosexuality. Is that biased? Did Jesus truly state everything that was important to continue to keep in the law? Does your theology say if Jesus didn’t restate something then it doesn’t need to be followed? He was pretty vague on homosexuality. Some would say if His intention was to call it sin, He could have been much clearer on it. If he was a good teacher wouln’t he have been more clear if that was His intention? What about other simple issues like Lev. 11:6-8 says that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, did you ever consider a football is made of pigskin? Why do some Christians seem to so easily pick and choose what to condemn from the law and what to not even consider? Lev.19:19 indicates we shouldn’t plant two different crops in the same field, or wear garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). You could even argue Lev.24:10-16 makes a case to stone them or that Lev. 20:14 says to burn those caught in incestual relationships. Are you starting to see the complications that might come with being unbiased to the text, trying to decide what still should carry over to us? Why are women in the OT not upheld to the same sexual standards as men?8 What about miskebe issa?9 Do we want to get into that conversation?

Lastly, aren’t we called to strive to live 100% towards the finished eschatological goal? Some have said that there will be no genders in heaven, however I would argue the Bible seems to lean the other way. There is nothing in the Bible that indicates people will lose or change their gender in heaven. On the contrary, the Bible implies that we will remain who we are in heaven, and gender is likely part of who we are. In paradise, Lazarus was still Lazurus, and Abraham was still Abraham (Luke 16:22–24). But make no mistake, the first two chapters and the last two chapters are God’s ideals and at the very least there is gender equality. But that still doesn’t address all the questions or issues eschatologically. Jesus says, “At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” – Matthew 22:30 The problem is Angels in Heaven had a distinctive Genesis 6 problem that had to do with all things sexual. What do you do with that? If you are going down this road, you might also consider the texts of Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬, Genesis 6:2, Genesis 19:5-8, in comparison to Galations 3:26 and Mark 12:25.

CONCLUSIVE THOUGHTS

Each person may have a different interpretation of the scripture and be in a slightly different situation. I think we should walk in balance and peace but encourage better Biblical interpretation. Has modernity and science changed over time compared to the law as a stop gap for the coming of the messiah and possibly modern medicine? (Some will argue God uses modern medicine, some see modern medicine as opposite of the healing God offers.) There are several things that should come into your theological lens in terms of agreement within your theology on this matter.

On the one hand, if you are reading this, you most likely believe the Bible is God’s Word and we can’t with integrity deny that it teaches that sex outside the parameters of a monogamous, life-long, marriage covenant is sin, whether it is sex with a person of a different gender or sex with a person of the same gender. We find the arguments of those who try to argue that Rom.1:24-28-, I Cor. 6:9 and I Tim. 1:10 don’t apply to monogamous gay relationships simply aren’t very persuasive. On the other hand, we sense that something is “off” with the stance of the church throughout history, and the stance of most evangelical churches today, toward gay people. Jesus would have unequivocally loved them and invited them to repent and join His kingdom. The approach isn’t consistent or balanced.

As an example, many of us wonder why it is that the church (rightly) embraces without question people who have been divorced and remarried – several times, in some cases –but adamantly excludes committed gay couples – couples who sometimes have a love for one another that puts the love of many straight couples to shame. What makes this question especially important is that the New Testament’s teaching that divorce and remarriage involves sin is much more emphatic and clear than it’s teaching that gay unions involve sin (see e.g. Mt. 5:32; 19:9). In fact, while Jesus taught on the sin of divorce and remarriage several times, he never even mentioned homosexuality. I have said it many times over the years, but once you step away from God’s ideal of 1 man and 1 woman united as one before the LORD in ANY WAY… you are outside of His perfect will for you. In every other situation grace covers you equally. However, we are also told to not continue to live in sin. You might argue that remarriage isn’t necessarily sin but living in homosexuality is. We also have to consider not giving into the tendencies, urge or temptations. What about the one who has the sexual urges towards homosexuality but never gratifies those urges? Isn’t that essentially the same as not giving into any sinful temptation? I think if you are truly approaching this issue with an un-biased approach toward faithful hermeneutical interpretation this subject is going to be far more complicated than you may have ever considered.

Let me get back to grace. My point is not that the church should exclude divorced and remarried people. While divorce and remarriage “misses the mark” of God’s ideal, which is the Bible’s definition of sin (harmartia), I believe that, by God’s grace, this is sometimes the best option for people. My point is rather that there seems to be an inconsistency on the part of the church on this matter, and many of us wonder why.10

Scripture consistently presents homosexual practice, like adultery and various other sexual acts outside of a man-woman marriage covenant, as contrary to God’s design. So, let’s be consistent!

At the same time, the Bible declares the potential for repentance, transformation, and redemption for all people regardless of background or personal history. For many interpreters, this forms the unified, scriptural teaching on homosexuality. In summary, the biblical record reflects a consistent stance on the question at hand-rooted in God’s initial design, repeated in the ethical instructions of both Old and New Testaments, and ultimately encompassed by the message of grace and hope found in Christ.

  1. https://biblehub.com/q/what_does_the_bible_say_on_homosexuality.htm ↩︎
  2. Joyce, Paul M. (2009). Ezekiel: A Commentary. Continuum. ISBN 9780567483614. ↩︎
  3. Eisenberg, Ronald (2005), The 613 Mitzvot: A Contemporary Guide to the Commandments of Judaism, Schreiber Publishing, ISBN 0-88400-303-5 ↩︎
  4. Massey, Lesly F. (2015). Daughters of God, Subordinates of Men: Women and the Roots of Patriarchy in the New Testament. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-4766-2143-2. ↩︎
  5. Coogan, Michael (October 2010). God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says (1st ed.). New York, Boston: Twelve. Hachette Book Group. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-446-54525-9. ↩︎
  6. Coogan 2010, p. 135: “Finally, the Hebrew Bible is silent about lesbian relationships, probably because they did not relate to patriarchy—or, for that matter, to paternity.” ↩︎
  7. Meirowitz, Sara N.S. (2009). “Not Like a Virgin: Talking about Nonmarital Sex”. In Ruttenberg, Danya (ed.). The Passionate Torah: Sex and Judaism. NYU Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-8147-7605-6. ↩︎
  8. Alpert, Rebecca T. (2009). “Reconsidering Solitary Sex from a Jewish Perspective”. In Ruttenberg, Danya (ed.). The Passionate Torah: Sex and Judaism. NYU Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-8147-7605-6. In the Hebrew Bible there is no same-gender sexuality for women and no allusion to female masturbation, whereas lying with a man as with a woman is prohibited at least twice in the Torah. ↩︎
  9.  “Since illicit carnal relations are implied by the term miškĕbê ʾiššâ, it may be plausibly suggested that homosexuality is herewith forbidden for only the equivalent degree of forbidden heterosexual relations, namely, those enumerated in the preceding verses (D. Stewart). However, sexual liaisons occurring with males outside these relations would not be forbidden. And since the same term miškĕbê ʾiššâ is used in the list containing sanctions (20:13), it would mean that sexual liaisons with males, falling outside the control of the paterfamilias, would be neither condemnable nor punishable. Thus miskĕbê ʾiššâ, referring to illicit male—female relations, is applied to illicit male—male relations, and the literal meaning of our verse is: do not have sex with a male with whose widow sex is forbidden. In effect, this means that the homosexual prohibition applies to Ego with father, son, and brother (subsumed in v. 6) and to grandfather—grandson, uncle—nephew, and stepfather—stepson, but not to any other male.” – Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus 17-22: A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Yale Bible vol. 3, Yale University Press, 2007, page 1569 ↩︎
  10. https://reknew.org/2012/10/homosexuality-and-the-church-finding-a-third-way/ ↩︎